Brendan Liaw is a multi-day Jeopardy! champion and Stay-at-Home Son as seen on TV.
He graduated from UBC with a BSc in Chemical Biology in 2020 and he completed his MA in Political Science at UBC in 2024.
Brendan’s master’s thesis was on bipartisan lawmaking in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973-2021, investigating what factors drive minority party lawmakers to join the majority party and cast bipartisan votes on bills. He is currently seeking gainful employment.
We spoke to Brendan about his Jeopardy! experience and how his Political Science education came in handy.
What drew you to a master’s degree in Political Science after after completing your BSc in Chemical Biology?
There were a couple factors. I graduated with my BSc during the pandemic and could not find any jobs. I also realized that I didn’t enjoy chemistry enough to pursue a graduate degree. I had taken some undergraduate courses in political science, which I enjoyed and did well in, so I figured why not try for a MA?
Tell us about how you ended up on Jeopardy!
It is a bit of a process to get on the show. You have to pass two 50-question online tests, one of which is proctored to make sure you didn’t cheat on the first one. The show doesn’t tell you how you do at either stage, but if you pass the tests, then you do a mock game and interview with other prospective contestants. At that point, everyone is technically in the contestant pool for about 18 months, during which the show can call you on at any time. If the time elapses, you repeat the entire process.
I went through the whole process three times before getting on the show. My first audition was in 2018, but I’ve wanted to be on the show since I was a kid.
How did you prepare for the show?
I didn’t start actively preparing until I got the call to be on the show. This involved lots of flashcards (world capitals, books and authors, art and artists, historical events, etc.) and skimming Wikipedia articles. I also tried my best to improve my reaction time for the buzzer.
Preparing for Jeopardy! is a lifelong endeavour. You’re basically “studying” every time you read a book, watch TV or movies, paying attention in class, reading the news, etc.—just being curious about culture and the world.
Brendan with Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings
What were the most exciting and surprising parts of the Jeopardy! experience for you?
The whole thing is exciting, and just getting to go on the stage is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Also, getting to show off how much you know while wearing nice clothes and earning some cash is a pretty sweet gig.
I think the surprising part is how much fun it is despite the stress and pressure. Win or lose, I think most people want to keep playing Jeopardy! – it’s just really enjoyable to go head-to-head with other bright, kind, and interesting individuals.
Do you think your Political Science education helped you prepare for (and succeed on!) the show in some way? If so, how?
It actually did, not so much in terms of learning facts, but in terms of quantitative skills for measuring my progress and social science thinking for understanding the game.
For a long time before Jeopardy! started posting box stats after games, the prevailing theory was that knowledge is at par among all three contestants and that it comes down to buzzer speed. However, we now know that is not always the case. Looking at the number of buzzer attempts, we can see that some games are won on knowing more (i.e. the champion has way more attempts than the other two players) and some are won on being better on the buzzer (i.e. all three players have similar number of attempts but one player is getting in on clues more).
It was helpful to be able to understand what all the stats meant on their own, but also in the context of the game. I knew what means and standard deviations were, but I also knew what they meant in real terms of “questions answered” or “money value” of the clues. I was able to gauge my “skill level” relative to the average player or champion and track my progress as I studied.
Of course, all of this goes out the window when you’re actually on stage, but I’d like to think it helped me during the run-up to taping.
One of your categories on Tuesday night was “US History” — did your master’s research on bipartisan voting in the House of Representatives help at all?
Doing a master’s on US politics was more a reflection of my existing interests, rather than it teaching me new things about US history and politics. Like many people, my interest in US politics started in 2015-2016, and that interest led me to learn more about US history as well. Also, I have been a bit of a history buff since I was a kid, so that helped too.
How does it feel to be a multi-day Jeopardy! winner?
Crazy, but also good! Knowing how few people even win a single game (two people have to lose every game!) really makes me appreciate the multi-day win. Also being a multi-day winner and knowing how much variance there is (such as how strong your opponents are or whether the categories are in your favour), adds to the good feelings.
Going into the show, my goal was to win at least once, just because that meant I’d at least be called a Jeopardy! champion forever, so I’m glad I managed to get more than one win under my belt. Hopefully, I won enough games to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.
What advice would you share with current Political Science students (undergraduate or graduate) or recent graduates?
I don’t know that I’m in any position to give advice, but, in general, I’d say to study broadly. Of course, focus on something that interests you, but also study things that are outside your wheelhouse. Lateral thinking can be helpful, and you never know when a skill might come in handy (see: social science training and Jeopardy!).
What’s next for you? Should we expect any more television appearances from you soon?
I applied for admission to law schools for this upcoming fall and have been waiting to hear back. Jeopardy!, and all the attention I’ve gotten, might change those plans but we’ll see! I’ve already done several interviews that have aired on various news outlets.
Watch Brendan go for his next win tonight on Jeopardy! at 7:30 PM on CHEK (channel or streaming on their website) or KOMO/ABC.
